Every year, the same claims flood SEO discussions:
“AI is replacing Google search.”
“Traditional SEO is dead.”
I disagree.
I’ve worked with cannabis brands for 8+ years, helping them scale to millions in sales through SEO.
One of my clients? Acquired for $28M after leveraging the right backlink strategy.
And guess what? AI follows the same high-authority backlink rules as Google.
AI Still Prioritizes High-Authority Sites
To test this, I asked ChatGPT: “Best THCA Gummies 2025”
The sources it cited? Houstonia Magazine, ChicagoMag, ExtractLabs the same sites ranking on Google for “Best THCA Gummies.”
Why? These are high-authority sites with powerful backlinks.
This proves one thing: Backlinks still matter, and AI tools aren’t changing that.
Now, let’s break down how we ranked a CBD brand for "Best THCA Carts" in just 60 days.
The SEO Strategy: Ranking a Cannabis Brand in 60 Days
Objective:
- Get featured in AI tools to Order Digital PR to place my client’s cannabis brand in high-authority sites.
- Rank for “THCA Carts” on Google to Build high-authority cannabis backlinks.
Prerequisites:
- A cannabis brand website
- A trusted Digital PR service
- A high-authority link-building service
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Optimize the Homepage & Category Page
- Placed “THCA Carts” on the homepage with exact-match anchors.
- Ensured Google bots could crawl & index the category pages.
Step 2: High-Traffic Blog Content
- Used Ahrefs & Semrush to find long-tail cannabis keywords.
- Wrote SEO-rich blog posts:
- Can You Fly with THCA Carts?
- Are THCA Carts Legal in Texas?
- Interlinked blogs to boost authority.
Step 3: Internal Linking Strategy
- Linked all blog posts to the THCA Carts page with exact match anchors.
Step 4: Order a Digital PR Package
- Secured high-authority mentions on Yahoo Finance, Benzinga, Cannabis Now.
Step 5: Strategic Anchor Text Distribution
- Homepage Links:
- 50% Branded (CBD Brand Name)
- 50% Partial Match (Best THCA Carts, THCA Vape, etc.)
Step 6: High-Authority Homepage Backlinks
- Ordered a high-DR backlink package for the homepage.
Step 7: Anchor Text for Category Page
- Ordered a 70+ DR backlink package for THCA Carts.
- Anchor text breakdown:
- 60% Partial Match
- 40% Exact Match
- Used competitor backlink analysis for anchor ratio optimization.
Step 8: Indexing & Monitoring
- Waited 3-5 weeks for backlinks to index.
- Rankings fluctuated for 1 week, then stabilized.
Results After 60 Days
- Ranking Boost: Page 3 to Page 1 in just 15 days.
- Traffic Surge: 100 to 2,000+ visitors/month.
- Sales Growth: Higher checkout conversions.
AI hasn’t changed the game, high-authority backlinks still rule SEO.
